Sunday

The Famous Blue Raincoat

"Its coming in to land - No not there! - No, not yet! - Oh no! - Oh yes, -phew!"
Using a table cloth as launching pad for the Mavi pro.
photo: Appe Alm
I’ve been meaning to update this blog for some time but I really find the art of multitasking quite challenging. When I am absorbed in the process of a painting I can’t break off my train of thought to write anything and vice versa, so it all takes time.

My recent project has been to produce a new video about painting watercolours on the beach. I decided to drive to my favourite beach at Kullaberg where there are steep cliffs, lots of stones, rocks and seaweed. For the new video I wanted to send a drone up to film the whole scene from above. I had bought a new drone, a Mavic Pro (after my first one was lost at sea) and persuaded my friend Appe Alm to come with me as drone pilot to take control of the remote. Not an easy task, as neither of us had tried it before. We did a trial run near home first and took it in turns to launch, fly, turn round and land in “beginner mode”

Starting the painting with large brushstrokes.
Then I put on five layers of clothes and took all my art materials, camera equipment, coffee and sandwiches and off we went. On location the temperature was zero degrees so both flight time (cold battery) and painting time ( freezing fingers) were limited. However I got started on the painting and could work on the basic shapes and preliminary composition.
Filling in the details
I borrowed some of the stones from the beach ( they will be returned later) and some seaweed to take home and continue there. 
The work in progress was filmed step by step. It took a long time so the seaweed started to smell and was thrown out. A whole month went by before the weather was suitable to continue filming and painting again.
Me, from the drone, in my famous blue raincoat
( the tiny blue spot by the rocks)
The actual video will be published later when I have finished the long process of editing. (The art of multitasking again)

Drifted Ashore   watercolor 54 x 75 cm
 © Elizabeth Tyler 2018